1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for viewing audio/visual information, and in particular to a system and method for capturing and viewing audio/visual information using a handheld/palm computing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Commonly, program material, including multimedia data (e.g., audio/visual signals (e.g., a television program) and information) are transmitted to homes and businesses for viewing. The signals may be transmitted by satellite and received in a satellite antenna and receiver. Alternatively, the signal may be transmitted via cable to the home or business. Once received, the signal is decoded or translated by a set top box for further processing or viewing/listening on a television or other device. A common problem today is the illegal or unauthorized copying of information such as audio files that have been downloaded to a computer. To prevent such unauthorized copying, set top boxes often utilize technology that decrypts or decodes information that has been transmitted using encryption or encoding technology.
To record program material or save some of the program material for later retrieval and use, many devices are utilized. Video cassette recorders (VCRs) are typically used to record audio/visual signals broadcast for viewing on a television. The signal is received by a VCR and recorded on a tape that may be placed in a compatible format VCR for viewing elsewhere. Alternatively, the information may be recorded digitally on a chip inside of a set top box or intermediate device (e.g., in TiVo, ReplayTV, or a hard drive). In order to record and view transmitted information in a location other than where the receiver is located, a user must (1) record the information on a bulky video tape, and (2) place the video tape into a compatible format VCR that is connected to a viewing device such as a television.
To record and playback digital audio files, the audio files may be compressed, downloaded, and transferred to a portable audio player. The portable player may be used to listen to or edit the audio file. Such audio files may constitute copyright infringement.
What is needed is a small device that is commonly used and carried by a user. In other words, a handheld device that has multiple functions in addition to recording/viewing of audio/visual signals and other information broadcast via satellite or cable is desirable. Additionally, what is needed is a small device that can capture and store information with an added level of security that prevents illegal or improper copying of the information.
Prior art handheld computing devices (also referred to as palm PCs or personal digital assistants (PDA)), the software for such devices, and portable recorders/players do not provide the above described functionality. These problems may be better understood by describing prior art handheld computing devices and recording devices.
Handheld Computing Devices
Many handheld computing devices are available in today's marketplace. Typically, handheld computing devices are only slightly larger than the size of one's palm (hence, the name palm PC) and have a small display screen for viewing a plethora of items. Software can be installed on a PDA to provide enhanced functionality. For example, a personal productivity tool may be installed to provide access to a calendar, contacts, email, Internet browsing, audio books, and audio recording capabilities. Card slots may also be available to provide additional memory or other functions (e.g., a modem). Additionally, some PDAs have infrared (IR) ports for communication.
The PDA available from COMPAQ called AERO allows the PDA to play audio files downloaded onto a desktop computer from the Internet and transferred to the PDA upon synchronization. Further, an instant record button allows voice recording when the button is depressed. Listening to content may be accomplished through an integrated speaker on the back of the unit, or through headphones placed into a jack for private listening. The display screen of the AERO is a 256 color, highly reflective, thin film transistor (TFT), liquid crystal display.
In addition to traditional PDAs, portable electronic books (an electronic version of a book) are also available. An electronic book (also referred to as an ebook) may be an independent handheld computing device or may comprise software installed on a traditional PDA. Ebook software (installed on a PDA or on its own handheld computing device) enables a reader to read, save, highlight, bookmark, and annotate text. Books (i.e., book text and/or a table of contents and other information) are downloaded from a web site and installed on an ebook. Thus, the same ebook device can be used repeatedly for reading different books.
Recording Devices
Recording and playback devices are often utilized to listen to music, audio books, or other audio signals. For example, a tape recorder may be used to record music off of the radio or dictation using a built in microphone. Similarly, compact disc (CD) players and mini-disc players may be utilized for the same purpose.
In the past few years, an audio compression technology referred to as MP3 (Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) Audio Layer 3) has been developed and more widely used. MP3 technology provides for the compression of CD-quality sound by a factor of 12, while providing almost the same high fidelity. Thus, high compression ratios are obtainable that provide reasonable sound quality. MP3 music files may be played via software or a handheld device.
MP3 technology has made it feasible to download quality audio from the web very quickly thus providing a worldwide auditioning system for new musicians and labels. For example, an entire audio CD (more than an hour of music) can be downloaded in five minutes or less. There are a number of MP3 “rippers” and encoders on the market that pull out raw audio data from a music CD and encode it into the MP3 format. Accordingly, there has been considerable bootlegging and copyright infringement when copyrighted material is digitally stored and provided to anyone requesting or downloading the file on the interne.
MP3 portable players, which can be extremely small, have become widely used in today's market. Several models and variations of MP3 portable players are available. The RIO player available from Diamond Multimedia is one such portable player. Some MP3 players can store up to two hours of digital-quality music and up to 32 hours of spoken audio programs. Further, models may have various additional features such as 64 MB of onboard memory (expandable to 96 MB with removable flash cards), universal serial bus (USB) support, no moving parts, software for encoding, managing, and playing digital audio files. Additionally, some portable players have backlit liquid crystal displays (LCD) that show the song/book title, artist, time, and additional information (e.g., tracks, volume, and frequency equalization controls).
The above described recording devices and hand held computing devices download information from a personal computer but do not provide the ability to easily store audio/visual information from a set top box with the set top boxes added antipiracy and security capabilities such as encryption and encoding technology. Further, such devices are often complex and difficult to use.